After staying away from the director’s chair for almost the entirety of the ’70s, Dennis Hopper took up the reins again to helm this devastating character study, in what’s possibly his greatest auteurial effort. Linda Manz will chill your soul as Cebe, a disaffected, punk-worshipping teenager whose dad (Hopper) is in prison for a school bus accident (brought to life in the nightmarish opening scene), and whose mom is a hopeless junkie. Manz’s portrayal of Cebe matches the iconic vibrancy of her legendary turn in Days Of Heaven — but here, it’s also accompanied by a steep slide into a fantasy world of her own creation, as her home life crumbles around her, and she’s forced to embody the very essence of detached, deadpan fuck-you punk attitude in order to cope. The closest cinematic equivalent to a Sex Pistols song (despite lifting its title from Neil Young’s haunting “My My, Hey Hey,” which plays often on the soundtrack), this harsh look at the ultimate dysfunctional family remains an unsung classic with a jolting ending that still packs an incredible punch. New 35mm print!
Dir. Dennis Hopper, 1980, 35mm, 94 min.